Vela
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- VEL-uh
- Origin
- Latin
- US rank, 2025
- #6,545 for girls
Vela is a girls' name of Latin origin, meaning “sails”. In 2025 it ranked 6,545th for girls in the US (17 babies).
What does Vela mean?
Latin: Latin word, the name of a southern constellation
“sails”
Vela, 'the sails', is a southern constellation that was once part of the larger constellation Argo Navis.
Is Vela a girl's or a boy's name?
Vela is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 17 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Vela in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #6,545among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 17about 1 in 95,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 31% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 17 girls in the US were named Vela, making it the 6,545th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 8,948th. Its busiest year was 1915, with 38 girls. It first appears in the records in 1888.
Half of all the girls named Vela in the US since 1880 were born between 1915 and 2010, the years shaded on the chart below.
Vela in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 17 | #6,545 |
| 2024 | 21 | #5,796 |
| 2023 | 26 | #4,996 |
| 2022 | 17 | #6,702 |
| 2021 | 27 | #4,829 |
| 2020 | 11 | #8,948 |
| 2019 | 18 | #6,410 |
| 2018 | 20 | #6,006 |
| 2017 | 16 | #7,088 |
| 2016 | 24 | #5,444 |
| 2015 | 22 | #5,831 |
| 2014 | 16 | #7,300 |
| 2013 | 12 | #9,031 |
| 2012 | 10 | #10,424 |
| 2011 | 12 | #9,146 |
| 2010 | 15 | #7,877 |
| 2009 | 5 | #17,288 |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 7 | #13,918 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 5 | #14,116 |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 5 | #7,994 |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 5 | #6,803 |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 8 | #5,007 |
| 1963 | 6 | #5,890 |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 7 | #5,308 |
| 1960 | 6 | #5,695 |
| 1959 | 6 | #5,565 |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 6 | #5,376 |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 12 | #3,324 |
| 1953 | 0 | – |
| 1952 | 0 | – |
| 1951 | 9 | #3,713 |
| 1950 | 7 | #4,313 |
| 1949 | 6 | #4,672 |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 9 | #3,704 |
| 1946 | 6 | #4,416 |
| 1945 | 6 | #4,023 |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 6 | #4,195 |
| 1942 | 8 | #3,442 |
| 1941 | 6 | #3,952 |
| 1940 | 6 | #3,861 |
| 1939 | 9 | #2,920 |
| 1938 | 7 | #3,448 |
| 1937 | 7 | #3,433 |
| 1936 | 10 | #2,688 |
| 1935 | 8 | #3,154 |
| 1934 | 14 | #2,186 |
| 1933 | 12 | #2,403 |
| 1932 | 8 | #3,272 |
| 1931 | 14 | #2,204 |
| 1930 | 15 | #2,201 |
| 1929 | 9 | #3,135 |
| 1928 | 18 | #2,022 |
| 1927 | 19 | #2,025 |
| 1926 | 15 | #2,350 |
| 1925 | 18 | #2,118 |
| 1924 | 21 | #1,925 |
| 1923 | 25 | #1,672 |
| 1922 | 18 | #2,109 |
| 1921 | 15 | #2,378 |
| 1920 | 22 | #1,816 |
| 1919 | 27 | #1,527 |
| 1918 | 21 | #1,805 |
| 1917 | 17 | #1,995 |
| 1916 | 20 | #1,739 |
| 1915 | 38 | #1,094 |
| 1914 | 25 | #1,228 |
| 1913 | 16 | #1,465 |
| 1912 | 15 | #1,421 |
| 1911 | 13 | #1,300 |
| 1910 | 13 | #1,267 |
| 1909 | 14 | #1,104 |
| 1908 | 13 | #1,135 |
| 1907 | 12 | #1,142 |
| 1906 | 7 | #1,553 |
| 1905 | 16 | #926 |
| 1904 | 11 | #1,092 |
| 1903 | 8 | #1,318 |
| 1902 | 8 | #1,320 |
| 1901 | 8 | #1,227 |
| 1900 | 11 | #1,170 |
| 1899 | 5 | #1,595 |
| 1898 | 10 | #1,098 |
| 1897 | 8 | #1,167 |
| 1896 | 5 | #1,582 |
| 1895 | 5 | #1,592 |
| 1894 | 5 | #1,484 |
| 1893 | 5 | #1,437 |
| 1892 | 0 | – |
| 1891 | 0 | – |
| 1890 | 5 | #1,337 |
| 1889 | 0 | – |
| 1888 | 6 | #1,136 |
Names like Vela
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Vera Flora Lola Stella Viola Clara Veda Alma Rosa Nora Zelda Mabel
Names related to Vela
More Latin names
Oliver Olivia Leo Roman Aurora Emily Florence Luna Rosie Emilia Max Nova Lucy Julian Anthony Austin
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Vela: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/vela, updated 20 October 2026.